Chapter 3 “Strike the battle march, loyal vassal drummer!” Nutcracker shouted. The drummer beat his drum so furiously that the glass in the cabinet shook and reverberated the sound. A rattle and clatter came from within the cabinet, and Marie saw that the lids of the boxes where Fritz’s army was quartered had popped open. […]
Chapter 2 Marie had lingered near the Christmas table when the others had left because she had seen something nobody else seemed to have noticed. After Fritz had disengaged his hussars from parading about the tree, a splendid little man became visible. He stood there quietly and modestly, as if waiting his turn.His build left
When it was time to elect their new king, the animals elected the monkey to this all-powerful position, because of his antics. The fox was very much disappointed and waited for a chance.One day, the fox found a delicious fruit lying in its way. She was quick to understand that it was a trap. She
Chapter 1 Doctor Stahlbaum had children named Fritz, Louise, Marie. It was Christmas Eve. But Fritz and Marie were not allowed into the family room, far from speaking the adjoining living room.Evening had come, and Fritz and Marie Stahlbaum sat huddled in a corner. As was usual on Christmas Eve, no-one had brought in a
When the cats and the mice went at war, it was the mice who were defeated. The mice held a meeting and came to the conclusion that it was their unorganised way of fighting that they had to face the defeat. So, the mice appointed some commanders. The commanders, in order to set themselves apart
The burial ground (Kabristan) of Shekhupura village was quite outside the village, some distance off. Near Kabristan, by the side of the road, a deep trench was dug by someone who believed that there was a treasure buried there. The man found nothing but the trench remained there.One evening, a stranger accidentally fell into the
A woodcutter was cutting wood from a tree near the bank of a river.Suddenly, the axe slipped from the hands of the woodcutter and fell down into the fast current of the river. The woodcutter searched for the axe in the river, but he could not find it.Cursing his luck the woodcutter dejectedly sat near
Once there was a fisherman who played sweet music on his flute. One day, he took his flute and fish basket, and sat on a high rock to catch fish. He began to play his flute hoping that the fish attracted by the sweet music of his flute would leap into his basket. But no
Once there was a hungry fox who, while wandering in search of food, came across a vineyard. There, the golden grapes which were very delicious and sweet, hung from the vines.The fox looked at them greedily and jumped up to have a bite into the grapes, but failed to reach them. He tried again and
A mosquito once came flying and settled down comfortably on a bull’s horn and remained there for hours.Only when he decided to leave, did he speak to the bull, “You must have been cursing me all through these hours I was sitting on your horn. But I shall disturb you no more. I am leaving
Chapter 10 The next morning as soon as I awaked I found my eldest son sitting by my bedside, who came to increase my joy with another turn of fortune in my favour. First having released me from the settlement that I had made the day before in his favour, he let me know that
Chapter 9 Mr Thornhill made his entrance with a smile, which he seldom wanted, and was going to embrace his uncle, which the other repulsed with an air of disdain. ‘No fawning, Sir, at present,’ cried the Baronet, with a look of severity, ‘the only way to my heart is by the road of honour;
The sun and the wind challenged each other to see which of the two was so powerful as to make the first passer-by take off his clothes.First, the wind took its turn and blew with all its might. The more it blew, the more the traveller held his clothes tightly around his body to save
Chapter 8 No sooner we got from our dwelling about two miles than we saw a crowd running and shouting behind us. The crowd consisted of about fifty of my poorest parishioners. They soon seized upon the two offices of justice. But I interfered and managed to save the officers. Soon my entire family was
Chapter 7 The next morning the sun rose with peculiar warmth for the season; so that we agreed to breakfast together on the honeysuckle bank: where, while we sate, my youngest daughter, at my request, joined her voice to the concert on the trees about us. It was in this place my poor Olivia first